by bgsengine » Wed Jul 15, 2020 8:52 am
I'm not even surprised.. I think I called that several months ago.. writing was on the wall even then.. and I'd not be surprised to see more of the same within the industry as people start going to hiring lawn care contractors or using battery powered equipment.. and the remaining DIY'ers that can afford it will go for the high-end high quality stuff.. the low-price cheapo consumer units will end up becoming "loss leader" sales, and poorer quality.. and with the improving quality of some of the china clone brands (Notably HF Predator engines) with their much lower price point, I just can't really see as there is much remaining market for consumer level engines from the Big Two (Formerly Big Three before Tecumseh went down the toilet) - Briggs & Kohler - So if Briggs is gonna hope to remain viable in the long-term, they need to cut into Kohler/Kawasaki market share on the commercial side of things and develop new high-end markets at premium margins, instead of trying to rejuvenate declining brands by slapping a former quality-name on an MTD unit...
were I to offer up advice for service shops that have a heavily consumer clientele, I'd strongly suggest starting to develop your own sources for service parts for china-clone engines & equipment (and complete engines for re-power projects) and take the time to figure out your cross reference compatibility on parts... and then, diversify your business away from consumer gas powered lawn & garden repairs, 'cause eventually I really do think that sort of market will fall to the purview of the hobbyist or small-scale (under the table) shops, as there just won't be enough volume of work to sustain a full time professional operation on consumer product repairs alone..
How poor are they who have not patience. What wound did ever heal, but by degrees? - Iago (Othello Act II, Scene 3)